Local authority meaning

Planning conditions and planning obligations often limit both what development may take place and the way it is carried out on the land or buildings to which they apply. See Practice Notes: Planning conditions—key points and Planning obligations—key points. Planning obligations Agreements made under section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (commonly called section 106 agreements, or planning obligations) control the use of land and bind successors in title. They are recorded as local land charges. The agreement should specify the land it binds by reference to an attached plan, which will usually mirror the planning application site boundary for the related development. A section 106 agreement is typically concluded before the decision notice granting planning permission is issued. How are planning obligations revealed? Review the outcome of the local land charges search (LLC1). Planning obligations are registrable as local land charges. From 12 April 2015, HM Land Registry has responsibility for the local land charges register. Transitional provisions permit HM Land Registry...

This Checklist sets out the obligations for local authorities seeking approval to deploy surveillance powers under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA 2000) and the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 (IPA 2016). It should be read alongside Practice Notes: Regulation of investigatory powers under RIPA 2000 and The regulation of intelligence gathering—an introductory guide. RIPA 2000 requirements Under RIPA 2000, the requirements include: advance authorisation for directed surveillance a prohibition on the authority conducting intrusive surveillance authorising the conduct and use of a covert human intelligence source (CHIS) safeguards governing the conduct and use of a CHIS authorisation to acquire communications data obtaining judicial approval for those authorisations Authorisation and judicial approval for the acquisition of communications data are now governed by IPA 2016. See Practice Notes: Surveillance powers of local authorities, The regulation of intelligence gathering—an introductory guide and Acquisition, retention and disclosure of communications data under the Investigatory Powers Act 2016...

Coronavirus (COVID-19): This Archived Practice Note provides guidance on areas that were temporarily modified to aid the handling of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. For more detail, refer to Practice Notes: Local authority meetings during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic [Archived], and Coronavirus (COVID-19)—governance tracker [Archived]. Elements of accessibility The table below outlines the position within a standard authority. Certain authorities extend further rights to councillors and to the public in some cases...

This Checklist This checklist sets out key questions and considerations for local authority officers to weigh when defining the scope and content of a criminal investigation into a suspected criminal offence. What offence(s) are under investigation? Examine the statute and determine: the elements of the offence; and who may commit the offence What is the legal status of a potential defendant(s)? Is the potential defendant: a registered company? an LLP? a partnership? a sole trader? an unincorporated association? an individual?...

Section 106 planning obligation flowchart This flowchart explains the process for drafting and finalising a section 106 planning obligation. It sets out the duties of the developer and the local planning authority, and the schedule associated with the granting of planning permission. (PDF version)...

In this issue A review of key cases in 2025 Decision to prosecute and alternatives to prosecution Criminal procedure and evidence Proceeds of crime Bribery, corruption, sanctions and export controls Environmental offences Financial services and pensions offences Health and safety and corporate manslaughter offences Local authority prosecutions Money laundering Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Dates for your diary Trackers Useful information A review of key cases in 2025 Headline corporate crime matters in 2025 included the UK Supreme Court overturning the convictions of two traders jailed for rate manipulation; the anti-fraud agency deploying a seldom‑used legal power to recover criminal cash; and the first conviction for sanctions breaches. See News Analysis: The biggest financial crime cases of 2025. Decision to prosecute and alternatives to prosecution SFO compliance guide highlights early remediation is key On 26 November 2025, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO)...

In this issue: Criminal procedure and evidence Proceeds of crime Appeal and judicial review Sentencing Bribery, corruption, sanctions and export controls Cybercrime and data protection offences Environmental offences Financial services and pensions offences Food safety and hygiene offences Fraud, forgery, tax and theft offences Health and safety and corporate manslaughter offences Local authority prosecutions Money laundering International LexTalk®Corporate Crime: a Lexis®Nexis community Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Dates for your diary Trackers Useful information Criminal procedure and evidence Court delays soar as backlogs break records Between April and June 2025, the criminal courts in England and Wales amassed an unprecedented caseload of almost 440,000, with incoming matters exceeding disposals and a system hampered by long-standing funding shortfalls. In response, the Ministry of Justice (MOJ), together with The Rt Hon David Lammy MP, confirmed extra resources to accelerate outcomes for...

In this issue: Investigating criminal conduct Criminal procedure and evidence Sentencing Bribery, corruption, sanctions and export controls Consumer protection and cartels Environmental offences Financial services and pensions offences Fraud, forgery, tax and theft offences Health and safety and corporate manslaughter offences Local authority prosecutions Money laundering International Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Dates for your diary Trackers Useful information Investigating criminal conduct Refusal to repurpose evidence in civil proceedings for criminal charging decision (WFZ v British Broadcasting Corp) The High Court has recently clarified the circumstances in which a party will be permitted to rely on witness statements outside the proceedings in which they were first served. In ongoing injunction proceedings aimed at stopping publication of a BBC investigative report into sexual abuse allegations, the court determined that the accused could not use sensitive excerpts from that report in representations to the...

The extended producer responsibility (EPR) regime for packaging and packaging waste The extended producer responsibility (EPR) regime for packaging and packaging waste shifts the entire cost of managing household packaging waste from households to packaging producers, placing on them accountability for their packaging costs throughout its lifecycle. Lower charges apply to sustainable packaging, incentivising designs that use fewer materials and are easier to recycle. Under EPR, Local Authorities (LAs) receive producer-funded payments covering the net costs of collecting, managing, recycling and disposing of this household packaging waste. EPR is governed by the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024, SI 2024/1332 (as amended). These regulations define a range of persons and bodies with specific functions within the regime. These are: producers—these are the principal duty holders compliance schemes the Scheme Administrator (SA) (PackUK) ‘relevant authorities’ which are LAs as household waste collection and disposal authorities responsible for household waste services reprocessors and exporters the ‘appropriate agency’—in England, the Environment...

This Practice Note identifies the traffic authorities empowered to manage highway traffic across the highway network under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 (RTRA 1984), and outlines a traffic authority’s obligations in relation to road traffic. It sets out how that duty is discharged by making Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) pursuant to the RTRA 1984, and the situations where approval from the Secretary of State or the Welsh Ministers is required, where necessary and appropriate, before an Order is made. What is a Traffic Regulation Order? A TRO is a formal order or byelaw issued by a traffic authority specifying the type and scope of traffic restrictions within a particular locality...

NOTE—to see whether notification thresholds in the Netherlands and across the globe are met, see further: Where to Notify 1. Have there been any recent developments regarding the Dutch merger control regime and are any updates/developments expected in the coming year? Are there any other ‘hot’ merger control issues with the ACM? Media Following the Authority for Consumers and Market’s (ACM) prohibition of RTL’s proposed purchase of Talpa (two players in the Dutch television media market) on 30 January 2023, DPG Media announced plans to acquire RTL and filed the deal with the ACM. On 17 May 2024, the ACM concluded that the transaction merited deeper scrutiny and therefore referred the matter to the second (‘licence’) phase. On 18 July 2024, the parties submitted their application for the requisite licence. On 27 June 2025, the ACM issued conditional clearance for the merger in its DPG/RTL decision, imposing stringent behavioural commitments. Notably, the ACM factored media plurality into its competition analysis—an innovative development in Dutch merger control practice...

Definitions (General) Competent Authority • any body exercising jurisdiction over the Property, its occupation or its use; Restricted Period • any period [ exceeding [ number ] [ continuous ] weeks ] within the Term when a Pandemic Restriction is operative; Pandemic Restriction • any Legislation, or any requirement from, or guidance issued by, a Competent Authority that: (a) arises from [ COVID-19 or the occurrence of any other OR any ] national or local pandemic disease; and (b) prohibits, hinders or limits the Tenant from [ fully ] [ trading at the Property OR using [ more than [ number ]% (measured by floor area) of ] the Property for the Permitted Use ] . 1 Repair—suspension of Tenant’s repair obligation for pandemic reason The Tenant’s obligation to observe [ this clause OR clause [ number ] ] is suspended to such extent as the Landlord’s Surveyor deems fair...

Before the [ insert name ] Magistrates' Court on [ insert date ] Defendant: [ insert name of the individual liable for the statutory nuisance OR, where appropriate, the owner of the premises from which the nuisance originates ] Address: [ insert address ] Matter of complaint That, on [ insert date ], a statutory nuisance, within meaning of Environmental Protection Act 1990, s 79(1) [ specify paragraph ], was present at [ specify the premises and its address ] and still persists now, and that [ name of person responsible for the statutory nuisance ] remains responsible for the statutory nuisance...

This Agreement is entered into on [ insert date ] of [ insert month ] [ insert year ] by and between: [ insert name ], of [ insert address ] (' Council '); [ insert name ], of [ insert address ] (' County Council '); [ insert name ], a company duly incorporated and registered in [ insert details ] under number [ insert details ], whose registered office is at [ insert address ] (' Developer '); [ Additional parties as necessary eg owner, landlord, mortgagee, option holder etc. ] (' [ insert additional parties as necessary eg owner, landlord, mortgagee, option holder etc ] '). Recitals The Council is the local planning authority for the purposes of section 106 of the 1990 Act for the area within which the Land is situated and is the body by whom the obligations contained in this Deed are enforceable. The County Council is the local highway...

Given the enquirer notes the highway is 'seldom used', the initial issue to examine is whether the route ought to remain a highway that is maintained at the cost of the public purse...

Section 38 agreements These agreements fall under section 38 of the Highways Act 1980; refer to Practice Note: Highways—adoption agreements. There is no statutory route by which agreements can be ended or ‘cancelled’. However, a section 38 agreement may, in principle, be altered by a deed of variation, but this requires consent of all parties to the original agreement...

Neither the legislation—Part 4, Schedule 6 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 (EIA 2006)—nor the guidance—Governance handbook and Schools causing concern—Statutory guidance for local authorities—addresses whether a duty to consult persists where a local authority intends to exercise its EIA 2006, s 65 powers to appoint an Interim Executive Board (IEB) after the entire governing body has stepped down. Warning notice As stated at page 14 of the guidance, a warning notice under Part 4 of the EIA 2006 must be provided in writing to the school’s governing body and must include: the matters on which the local authority’s concerns are based...